Centering Steering Rack Questions

[VAHokie]

Working on centering my FFR power steering rack per the instructions that Karlos posted here. I pulled back the boots to expose the inner tie rod ends and have a couple of questions.

For the DS, I believe I need to measure the distance between the two points/lines below, the inside end of the inner tie rod and the outer side of the frame rail (fixed point) - is that correct?


For the PS, same deal, I believe I need to measure the distance between the two points/lines below, only the distance is VERY small, suggesting the rack needs to be shifted towards the DS to even the spacing.


If the above two measurements are correct, how can the rack can be shifted to the right when the mounting holes are all fixed to the frame? I have the Breeze bushings to assist with lateral adjustment but they won't account for this difference. Reading the post it appears you have to adjust the internals of the rack to get it even.

Thanks in advance for any insight or assistance!
Tony

[shackf16]

Tony,

It looks like your steering wheel is turned to the right some. Is it centered lock to lock? Mine (Mk3.1 w/ stock/rebuilt Fox power rack) was much closer to aligned with the steering rack centered. I only had to shift maybe a 1/4-inch or so towards the driver's side using the offset bushings. I'll re-center the steering wheel on the spline after all the other stuff is done. Adjusting the outer tie rods will cause the steering wheel to turn on you, so watch out for that!

Cheers,
Shack

[VAHokie]

Tony,

It looks like your steering wheel is turned to the right some. Is it centered lock to lock? Mine (Mk3.1 w/ stock/rebuilt Fox power rack) was much closer to aligned with the steering rack centered. I only had to shift maybe a 1/4-inch or so towards the driver's side using the offset bushings. I'll re-center the steering wheel on the spline after all the other stuff is done. Adjusting the outer tie rods will cause the steering wheel to turn on you, so watch out for that!

Cheers,
Shack

Thanks, Shack. It hasn't been centered lock to lock, so that's the culprit. This dawned on me while I was thinking it through this morning and appreciate the validation! Are the measurement points noted in my pics accurate?

Thank again,
Tony

[shackf16]

Yes. You could use a different reference - they just have to be the same on both sides. Center the rack lock-to-lock, then center rack in the frame with the offset bushings, then adjust outer tie rods for equal thread engagement/toe in, then worry about centering steering wheel on the shaft. I'll probably need to grind a new flat spot on the rack for the locking screw on the steering shaft to fit against, which is really the last step. (Oh yeah, if needed due to inability to center everything, you may need the a steering limiter on one side to keep the amount of wheel turn equal...)

[Big Blocker]

I think a lot of guys are confusing centering the rack shaft with the rack housing, don't. Centering the rack shaft gives you equal turning radius once everything is in place.
Centering the rack shaft in the housing by verifying lock-to-lock center will give you equal travel left to right as the inner tie-rods travel is limited by the rack housing. If there is TOO MUCH travel (tires rub on inner "F" panels), limiter bushings can be installed on the rack shaft, restricting the left-right movement. The housing doesn't need to be perfect . . .

The steering wheel is the last item to be centered and can be accomplished a few different ways: relocating the u-joint on the splines (not all cars can do this depending on rack used), re-drilling the steering wheel mounting hub, installing a quick-disconnect that has multiple splines, relocate position of hub on upper steering shaft, fine adjustments to tie rods as long as it won't affect the turning radius previously set.

Doc

[VAHokie]

Thanks, Shack and Doc. Appreciate all the input on this. I think I've got it all dialed in now after doing the following:

Centered the rack lock-to-lock. Total rotations lock-to-lock ended up being 2.5 turns, so I split the difference (1.25 turns) to get the rack centered. I then used the backend of the inner tie rod and measured the distance between it and the inside of the frame rail. I had to clearance the DS front mounting hole to allow for more lateral movement to get equal distance on both sides.


Here's the PS measurement at 7/16".


Here's the DS measurement at 7/16".


I then torqued down the mounting bolts to 50 ft/lbs per the Breeze instructions. Marked the inner steering tie rods 1" up from the end and threaded on the outer tie rod ends to that mark so they're equal on both sides. I don't have my wheels and tires yet, so i'll adjust later for the final toe-in measurements. Pics below, note that the locknuts aren't torqued down which is why you don't see any thread engagement.

DS outer tie rod end.


PS outer tie rod end.


If anything doesn't sound/look right, please let me know.
Tony

[Big Blocker]

Looks good to me, sitting at my computer in Vegas. I question the "clearancing" of the mount holes as opposed to getting some Breeze offset bushings, but if your "fix" works . . . nothing wrong with a little clearancing now-n-then. I've ground plenty in my frame to make things "fit better".
If you find that the steering turns too much (to tight and rubs your "F" panels) , you can add the limiting bushings to the tie rods.
Easiest test for equal steering radius is in a parking lot. crank the wheels full left and drive in a circle. Mark your start and finish positions. Now line up on those marks and crank the wheels to full right and see if you end up in the same spot as when you were going left . . . simple test, verifies turning radius is equal in both directions

That being said, none of us actually drive at full lock left or right so most of this is neither here-nor-there as far as normal driving conditions.

Doc

[VAHokie]

Looks good to me, sitting at my computer in Vegas. I question the "clearancing" of the mount holes as opposed to getting some Breeze offset bushings, but if your "fix" works . . . nothing wrong with a little clearancing now-n-then. I've ground plenty in my frame to make things "fit better".
If you find that the steering turns too much (to tight and rubs your "F" panels) , you can add the limiting bushings to the tie rods.
Easiest test for equal steering radius is in a parking lot. crank the wheels full left and drive in a circle. Mark your start and finish positions. Now line up on those marks and crank the wheels to full right and see if you end up in the same spot as when you were going left . . . simple test, verifies turning radius is equal in both directions

That being said, none of us actually drive at full lock left or right so most of this is neither here-nor-there as far as normal driving conditions.

Doc

Thanks, Doc. I actually have the Breeze bushings installed but couldn't achieve the required lateral movement to get everything even on both sides. Appreciate the tip on confirming equal steering radius.

Tony

[MSumners]

I am certainly not the expert on this, but having just been through the same process last week and doing research here, I question if you are making the measurements correctly if the bushings will not get you within spec.
Again, someone else may chime in but are you measuring the inner rod length to fixed points on the frame with it maximally translated to alternate sides?

[VAHokie]

I am certainly not the expert on this, but having just been through the same process last week and doing research here, I question if you are making the measurements correctly if the bushings will not get you within spec.
Again, someone else may chime in but are you measuring the inner rod length to fixed points on the frame with it maximally translated to alternate sides?

Thanks, MSumners. I was hoping the Breeze bushings would get me all the adjustability I needed, but they only got me within 1/16 of an inch and a small clearancing of the DS forward mounting tab was all that was needed to get the measurements exact on each side. I know the pic above looks like the mounting hole is enlarged quite a bit but it's already elongated to begin with. To center it, I measured the ends of the inner tie rods to the inner edge of the vertical frame tube.

[shackf16]

Tony,

Totally unrelated to your post, but...Rah Virginia Mil...VMI class of '92!

Shack